Down Among the Z Men - Revision history

Kurt at 04:12, 8 February 2023

2023-02-08T04:12:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:12, 7 February 2023
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	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=June 2016}}~~

	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	~~\| name = Down Among the Z Men~~
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| image = Down Among the Z Men FilmPoster.jpeg		\| image = Down Among the Z Men FilmPoster.jpeg
	\| director = [[w:Maclean Rogers\|Maclean Rogers]]		\| director = [[Maclean Rogers\|Maclean Rogers]]
	\| producer = [[w:Edwin J. Fancey\|E. J. Fancey]] <br> [[Jimmy Grafton]]		\| producer = [[Edwin J. Fancey\|E. J. Fancey]] <br> [[Jimmy Grafton]]
	\| writer = Francis Charles<br>[[Jimmy Grafton]]		\| writer = Francis Charles<br>[[Jimmy Grafton]]
	\| starring = [[Peter Sellers]]<br>[[Harry Secombe]]<br>[[Spike Milligan]]<br>[[Michael Bentine]]		\| starring = [[Peter Sellers]]<br>[[Harry Secombe]]<br>[[Spike Milligan]]<br>[[Michael Bentine]]
	\| music = Jack Jordan		\| music = Jack Jordan
	\| cinematography = [[w:Geoffrey Faithfull\|Geoffrey Faithfull]]		\| cinematography = [[Geoffrey Faithfull\|Geoffrey Faithfull]]
	\| editing = [[w:Peter Mayhew (film editor)\|Peter Mayhew]]		\| editing = [[Peter Mayhew (film editor)\|Peter Mayhew]]
	\| studio = E.J. Fancey Productions		\| studio = E.J. Fancey Productions
	\| distributor = New Realm Pictures		\| distributor = New Realm Pictures
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	}}		}}

	'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[w:black-and-white\|black-and-white]] British [[w:comedy\|comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].		'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[black-and-white\|black-and-white]] British [[comedy\|comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].

	==Plot==		==Plot==
	Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an amateur actor in community theatre, where he is currently playing a Scotland Yard inspector, "Batts of the Yard". When the absentminded Professor Osrick Pureheart (Bentine) leaves a secret military formula in the store, mayhem ensues as two suspicious secret agents (actually enemy spies), who have been shadowing the professor, question Harry regarding the professor, none of them realising that Harry now has the formula in his possession.		Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an amateur actor in community theatre, where he is currently playing a Scotland Yard inspector, "Batts of the Yard". When the absentminded Professor Osrick Pureheart (Bentine) leaves a secret military formula in the store, mayhem ensues as two suspicious secret agents (actually enemy spies), who have been shadowing the professor, question Harry regarding the professor, none of them realising that Harry now has the formula in his possession.

	Convinced by the two spies to follow the professor, Harry goes to an Army post, Camp Warwell, where he is mistakenly enlisted in the [[w:Z Reserve\|Z Men]], ostensibly an elite unit guarding atomic secrets but in reality a ragtag group of reservists, retreads, and others of marginal (at best) competence. The spies kidnap an [[~~w:adjutant\|~~adjutant]] newly assigned to the camp and one of them then impersonates him to gain entry to Camp Warwell.		Convinced by the two spies to follow the professor, Harry goes to an Army post, Camp Warwell, where he is mistakenly enlisted in the [[Z Reserve\|Z Men]], ostensibly an elite unit guarding atomic secrets but in reality a ragtag group of reservists, retreads, and others of marginal (at best) competence. The spies kidnap an [[adjutant]] newly assigned to the camp and one of them then impersonates him to gain entry to Camp Warwell.

	The post's commander, Colonel Bloodnok (Sellers), has been assigned for security purposes a supposed "daughter" (Carole Carr) who is actually a female [[w:MI5\|MI5]] operative. Harry soon becomes smitten with the "daughter", and they work together to foil an attempt by the secret agents to purloin Pureheart's formula.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=11 August 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811040059/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|url-status=dead }}</ref>		The post's commander, Colonel Bloodnok (Sellers), has been assigned for security purposes a supposed "daughter" (Carole Carr) who is actually a female [[MI5\|MI5]] operative. Harry soon becomes smitten with the "daughter", and they work together to foil an attempt by the secret agents to purloin Pureheart's formula.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=11 August 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811040059/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

	==Title==		==Title==
	[[w:Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[~~w:Korean War\|~~Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>		[[Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>

	As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[~~w:Queen's English\|~~Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.		As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.

	==Production==		==Production==
	''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>		''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

	The film was shot at the [[~~w:Maida Vale Studios\|~~Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[~~w:art director\|~~art director]] [[w:Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].		The film was shot at the [[Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[art director]] [[Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].
	The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008}}</ref>		The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008}}</ref>

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	* [[Spike Milligan]] as Pte. Eccles		* [[Spike Milligan]] as Pte. Eccles
	* [[Peter Sellers]] as Colonel Bloodnok		* [[Peter Sellers]] as Colonel Bloodnok
	* [[~~w:Carole Carr\|~~Carole Carr]] as Carole Gayley		* [[Carole Carr]] as Carole Gayley
	* [[~~w:The Television Toppers\|~~The Television Toppers]] as Dancers		* [[The Television Toppers]] as Dancers
	* [[w:Clifford Stanton\|Clifford Stanton]] as Stanton		* [[Clifford Stanton\|Clifford Stanton]] as Stanton
	* [[w:Robert Cawdron\|Robert Cawdron]] as Sergeant Bullshine		* [[Robert Cawdron\|Robert Cawdron]] as Sergeant Bullshine
	* [[Andrew Timothy]] as Captain Evans		* [[Andrew Timothy]] as Captain Evans
	* [[Graham Stark]] as Spider		* [[Graham Stark]] as Spider
	* Russ Allen as Brigadier's ADC		* Russ Allen as Brigadier's ADC
	* [[w:Elizabeth Kearns\|Elizabeth Kearns]] as Girl in Shop		* [[Elizabeth Kearns\|Elizabeth Kearns]] as Girl in Shop
	* [[Miriam Karlin]] as Woman in Shop		* [[Miriam Karlin]] as Woman in Shop
	* [[~~w:Sidney Vivian\|~~Sidney Vivian]] as Landlord		* [[Sidney Vivian]] as Landlord
	* [[~~w:Eunice Gayson\|~~Eunice Gayson]] as Officer's Wife		* [[Eunice Gayson]] as Officer's Wife

	==References==		==References==

Kurt at 00:05, 11 September 2022

2022-09-11T00:05:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:05, 10 September 2022
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	[[Category:British black-and-white films]]		[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
	[[Category:The Goon Show]]		[[Category:The Goon Show]]
			[[Category:Goon Show derived films]]

Kurt: /* Production */

2022-09-09T21:34:03Z

Production

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:34, 9 September 2022
Line 39:		Line 39:
	''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>		''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

	The film was shot at the [[Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[w:art director\|art director]] [[w:Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].		The film was shot at the [[w:Maida Vale Studios\|Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[w:art director\|art director]] [[w:Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].
	The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008 }}</ref>		The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008}}</ref>

	==Release==		==Release==

Kurt at 21:32, 9 September 2022

2022-09-09T21:32:37Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:32, 9 September 2022
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	[[Category:1950s spy comedy films]]		[[Category:1950s spy comedy films]]
	[[Category:British black-and-white films]]		[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
			[[Category:The Goon Show]]

Kurt at 18:32, 16 August 2022

2022-08-16T18:32:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:32, 16 August 2022
Line 22:		Line 22:
	}}		}}

	'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[w:black-and-white\|black-and-white]] British [[comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].		'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[w:black-and-white\|black-and-white]] British [[w:comedy\|comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].

	==Plot==		==Plot==

Kurt: /* Title */

2022-08-16T18:31:56Z

Title

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:31, 16 August 2022
Line 34:		Line 34:
	[[w:Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[w:Korean War\|Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>		[[w:Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[w:Korean War\|Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>

	As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.		As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[w:Queen's English\|Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.

	==Production==		==Production==

Kurt: /* Title */

2022-08-16T18:31:00Z

Title

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:31, 16 August 2022
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	==Title==		==Title==
	[[Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[w:Korean War\|Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>		[[w:Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[w:Korean War\|Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>

	As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.		As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.

Kurt at 18:01, 29 July 2022

2022-07-29T18:01:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:01, 29 July 2022
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	{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2016}}
	{{Use British English\|date=June 2016}}		{{Use British English\|date=June 2016}}
	~~{{More citations needed\|date=May 2021}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = Down Among the Z Men		\| name = Down Among the Z Men
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| image = Down Among the Z Men FilmPoster.jpeg		\| image = Down Among the Z Men FilmPoster.jpeg
	\| director = [[Maclean Rogers]]		\| director = [[w:Maclean Rogers\|Maclean Rogers]]
	\| producer = [[Edwin J. Fancey\|E. J. Fancey]] <br> Jimmy Grafton		\| producer = [[w:Edwin J. Fancey\|E. J. Fancey]] <br> [[Jimmy Grafton]]
	\| writer = Francis Charles<br>[[Jimmy Grafton]]		\| writer = Francis Charles<br>[[Jimmy Grafton]]
	\| starring = [[Peter Sellers]]<br>[[Harry Secombe]]<br>[[Spike Milligan]]<br>[[Michael Bentine]]		\| starring = [[Peter Sellers]]<br>[[Harry Secombe]]<br>[[Spike Milligan]]<br>[[Michael Bentine]]
	\| music = Jack Jordan		\| music = Jack Jordan
	\| cinematography = [[Geoffrey Faithfull]]		\| cinematography = [[w:Geoffrey Faithfull\|Geoffrey Faithfull]]
	\| editing = [[Peter Mayhew (film editor)\|Peter Mayhew]]		\| editing = [[w:Peter Mayhew (film editor)\|Peter Mayhew]]
	\| studio = E.J. Fancey Productions		\| studio = E.J. Fancey Productions
	\| distributor = New Realm Pictures		\| distributor = New Realm Pictures
Line 22:		Line 22:
	}}		}}

	'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[black-and-white]] British [[comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].		'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[w:black-and-white\|black-and-white]] British [[comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].

	==Plot==		==Plot==
	Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an amateur actor in community theatre, where he is currently playing a Scotland Yard inspector, "Batts of the Yard". When the absentminded Professor Osrick Pureheart (Bentine) leaves a secret military formula in the store, mayhem ensues as two suspicious secret agents (actually enemy spies), who have been shadowing the professor, question Harry regarding the professor, none of them realising that Harry now has the formula in his possession.		Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an amateur actor in community theatre, where he is currently playing a Scotland Yard inspector, "Batts of the Yard". When the absentminded Professor Osrick Pureheart (Bentine) leaves a secret military formula in the store, mayhem ensues as two suspicious secret agents (actually enemy spies), who have been shadowing the professor, question Harry regarding the professor, none of them realising that Harry now has the formula in his possession.

	Convinced by the two spies to follow the professor, Harry goes to an Army post, Camp Warwell, where he is mistakenly enlisted in the [[Z Reserve\|Z Men]], ostensibly an elite unit guarding atomic secrets but in reality a ragtag group of reservists, retreads, and others of marginal (at best) competence. The spies kidnap an [[adjutant]] newly assigned to the camp and one of them then impersonates him to gain entry to Camp Warwell.		Convinced by the two spies to follow the professor, Harry goes to an Army post, Camp Warwell, where he is mistakenly enlisted in the [[w:Z Reserve\|Z Men]], ostensibly an elite unit guarding atomic secrets but in reality a ragtag group of reservists, retreads, and others of marginal (at best) competence. The spies kidnap an [[w:adjutant\|adjutant]] newly assigned to the camp and one of them then impersonates him to gain entry to Camp Warwell.

	The post's commander, Colonel Bloodnok (Sellers), has been assigned for security purposes a supposed "daughter" (Carole Carr) who is actually a female [[MI5]] operative. Harry soon becomes smitten with the "daughter", and they work together to foil an attempt by the secret agents to purloin Pureheart's formula.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=11 August 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811040059/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|url-status=dead }}</ref>		The post's commander, Colonel Bloodnok (Sellers), has been assigned for security purposes a supposed "daughter" (Carole Carr) who is actually a female [[w:MI5\|MI5]] operative. Harry soon becomes smitten with the "daughter", and they work together to foil an attempt by the secret agents to purloin Pureheart's formula.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=11 August 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811040059/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

	==Title==		==Title==
	[[Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might ~~remobilize~~ "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>		[[Conscription in the United Kingdom\|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[w:Korean War\|Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilise "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>

	As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[Down Among the Dead Men. ]]''		As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[w:Down Among the Dead Men (song)\|Down Among the Dead Men]]''.

	==Production==		==Production==
	''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>		''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web \|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|title=Archived copy \|access-date=4 June 2008 \|archive-date=20 March 2005 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 \|url-status=dead }}</ref>

	The film was shot at the [[Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[art director]] [[Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].		The film was shot at the [[Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[w:art director\|art director]] [[w:Don Russell (art director)\|Don Russell]].
	The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008 }}</ref>		The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive \|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 \|date=25 January 2008 }}</ref>

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	* [[Spike Milligan]] as Pte. Eccles		* [[Spike Milligan]] as Pte. Eccles
	* [[Peter Sellers]] as Colonel Bloodnok		* [[Peter Sellers]] as Colonel Bloodnok
	* [[Carole Carr]] as Carole Gayley		* [[w:Carole Carr\|Carole Carr]] as Carole Gayley
	* [[The Television Toppers]] as Dancers		* [[w:The Television Toppers\|The Television Toppers]] as Dancers
	* [[Clifford Stanton]] as Stanton		* [[w:Clifford Stanton\|Clifford Stanton]] as Stanton
	* [[Robert Cawdron]] as Sergeant Bullshine		* [[w:Robert Cawdron\|Robert Cawdron]] as Sergeant Bullshine
	* [[Andrew Timothy]] as Captain Evans		* [[Andrew Timothy]] as Captain Evans
	* [[Graham Stark]] as Spider		* [[Graham Stark]] as Spider
	* Russ Allen as Brigadier's ADC		* Russ Allen as Brigadier's ADC
	* [[Elizabeth Kearns]] as Girl in Shop		* [[w:Elizabeth Kearns\|Elizabeth Kearns]] as Girl in Shop
	* [[Miriam Karlin]] as Woman in Shop		* [[Miriam Karlin]] as Woman in Shop
	* [[Sidney Vivian]] as Landlord		* [[w:Sidney Vivian\|Sidney Vivian]] as Landlord
	* [[Eunice Gayson]] as Officer's Wife		* [[w:Eunice Gayson\|Eunice Gayson]] as Officer's Wife

	==References==		==References==
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	{{Goons}}		{{Goons}}
	~~{{Maclean Rogers}}~~

	[[Category:1952 films]]		[[Category:1952 films]]

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Down Among the Z Men
| caption =
| image = Down Among the Z Men FilmPoster.jpeg
| director = [[Maclean Rogers]]
| producer = [[Edwin J. Fancey|E. J. Fancey]] Jimmy Grafton
| writer = Francis Charles [[Jimmy Grafton]]
| starring = [[Peter Sellers]] [[Harry Secombe]] [[Spike Milligan]] [[Michael Bentine]]
| music = Jack Jordan
| cinematography = [[Geoffrey Faithfull]]
| editing = [[Peter Mayhew (film editor)|Peter Mayhew]]
| studio = E.J. Fancey Productions
| distributor = New Realm Pictures
| released = {{film date|df=yes|1952|10}}
| runtime = 75 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
}}

'''''Down Among the Z Men''''' is a 1952 [[black-and-white]] British [[comedy]] film starring [[the Goons]]: [[Spike Milligan]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[Michael Bentine]] and [[Harry Secombe]].

==Plot==
Harry Jones (Secombe) is a clerk in Mr Crab's general mercantile store and an amateur actor in community theatre, where he is currently playing a Scotland Yard inspector, "Batts of the Yard". When the absentminded Professor Osrick Pureheart (Bentine) leaves a secret military formula in the store, mayhem ensues as two suspicious secret agents (actually enemy spies), who have been shadowing the professor, question Harry regarding the professor, none of them realising that Harry now has the formula in his possession.

Convinced by the two spies to follow the professor, Harry goes to an Army post, Camp Warwell, where he is mistakenly enlisted in the [[Z Reserve|Z Men]], ostensibly an elite unit guarding atomic secrets but in reality a ragtag group of reservists, retreads, and others of marginal (at best) competence. The spies kidnap an [[adjutant]] newly assigned to the camp and one of them then impersonates him to gain entry to Camp Warwell.

The post's commander, Colonel Bloodnok (Sellers), has been assigned for security purposes a supposed "daughter" (Carole Carr) who is actually a female [[MI5]] operative. Harry soon becomes smitten with the "daughter", and they work together to foil an attempt by the secret agents to purloin Pureheart's formula.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=4 June 2008 |archive-date=11 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811040059/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/65718/down-among-the-z-men.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Title==
[[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Service in Britain]] in the 1950s obliged all fit British men to serve in the military for two years, and thereafter three and a half years in the reserves. "Category Z" was one of the classes of reserve organization. During the [[Korean War]] there was much apprehension that, in order to supply enough troops, the government might remobilize "Z-men" who had been released after their two years in uniform.<ref>Peter Hennessy, ''Having it So Good: Britain in the Fifties'' (Penguin, 2007) p. 79.</ref>

As the letter "Z" is pronounced as "Zed" in [[Queen's English]], the title is also a pun on a traditional drinking song, ''[[Down Among the Dead Men. ]]''

==Production==
''Down Among the Z Men'' is the only film starring all four Goons; Bentine was absent from the 1951 ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''. In the film, Bentine, Milligan and Sellers repeated their radio characters, whereas Secombe's Neddy Seagoon was replaced with a less-raucous Harry Jones.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 |title=Archived copy |access-date=4 June 2008 |archive-date=20 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050320085350/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=102908 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The film was shot at the [[Maida Vale Studios]] in London, with sets designed by the [[art director]] [[Don Russell (art director)|Don Russell]].
The production was shot over a two-week shooting schedule. Milligan, who wrote most of the radio scripts for the Goons, had no role creating in the film's screenplay. Bentine would later tell an interviewer that the film's lack of financing required director Maclean Rogers to only permit one take per scene. Rogers, however, incorporated two dance numbers into the film featuring showgirls as female soldiers practising for a talent show.<ref name="Film Threat review">[http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 Film Threat review] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080125171132/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1065 |date=25 January 2008 }}</ref>

==Release==
''Down Among the Z Men'' was not a commercial success in Great Britain. Since the Goons were unknown in the United States at the time, there was no theatrical release to the American market. Years later, after Sellers became a major film star, bootleg 16mm prints of the film began to turn up in the US, sometimes under the new title ''The Goon Show Movie''.<ref name="Film Threat review"/>

==Cast==
* [[Harry Secombe]] as Harry Jones
* [[Michael Bentine]] as Prof. Osrick Pureheart
* [[Spike Milligan]] as Pte. Eccles
* [[Peter Sellers]] as Colonel Bloodnok
* [[Carole Carr]] as Carole Gayley
* [[The Television Toppers]] as Dancers
* [[Clifford Stanton]] as Stanton
* [[Robert Cawdron]] as Sergeant Bullshine
* [[Andrew Timothy]] as Captain Evans
* [[Graham Stark]] as Spider
* Russ Allen as Brigadier's ADC
* [[Elizabeth Kearns]] as Girl in Shop
* [[Miriam Karlin]] as Woman in Shop
* [[Sidney Vivian]] as Landlord
* [[Eunice Gayson]] as Officer's Wife

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0044563|title=Down Among the Z Men}}
* {{Amg movie|14494|Down Among the Z Men}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=down_among_the_z_men|title=Down Among the Z Men}}

{{Goons}}
{{Maclean Rogers}}

[[Category:1952 films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:1952 comedy films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Maclean Rogers]]
[[Category:Military humor in film]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s spy comedy films]]
[[Category:British black-and-white films]]